1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer backup systems and software. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for restoring backup data to a computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computer systems and their components are subject to various failures that may result in the loss of data. For example, a storage device used in or by the computer system may experience a failure (e.g., mechanical, electrical, magnetic, etc.) that may make any data stored on the device unreadable. To mitigate the risk of losing data, a computer system may include backup software for making backup copies of data stored on various storage devices. Some types of backup involve backing up data from a source system to a remote storage server over a network. The data may be backed up initially to disk-based storage and then migrated to an archival storage, such as tape-based storage.
The traditional process by which a data backup is restored to the source system requires substantial interaction between storage devices (possibly remote over a network), backup software components, and the target system. This interaction yields the following problems: file transfer between a remote storage server and the target system becomes a likely point of failure due to increase failure opportunity in network environments. The complexity of the restore process increases if backup software components are required to be installed on the target system prior to initiating restoration. A restore process can place a significant burden on a remote storage server's resources and complicates or prohibits multiple simultaneous restores to different target systems. Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for an improved method and apparatus for restoring backup data to a computer.